


Who Needs Peter Parker Anyway?

by mauvera



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: All The Tropes, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Flirting, Identity Reveal, M/M, Slow Burn, i know this isnt a popular ship whoops, just... so much flirting, kind of, they're both seventeen here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-14 07:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16908615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mauvera/pseuds/mauvera
Summary: When Harley finally gets to come to New York to hang out with Tony he's excited to build some robots and blow stuff up. Instead Tony is insisting that he meets that damn intern that he's been bragging about for months. Harley doesn't even have to meet the guy to know he's already sick of Peter Parker.In other news that cute guy that hangs around the tower keeps running away before Harley can find out his name. Damn it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is 100% self indulgent and dedicated to my friend that somehow conned me into shipping this

Harley’s fingers drummed against the window sill in time to the rhythmic bumping of the bus as it trundled along the road. His gaze sweeping across the landscape just as it had been for the past fourteen hours. Villages, towns and cities alike had swept past his watchful eyes on his goddamn trek to New York, all equally as uninteresting as the last. Suddenly the bus jerked to a stop as a herd of cows passed by in front of them causing Harley to groan and question why it was he had declined Tony’s offer to catch a private plane was beyond him. Seriously, a billionaire had just casually offered the opportunity to be flown directly to him and out of nothing but his own damn pride, Harley had passed up the two hour flight in favour of a sixteen hour bus trip. Sixteen. He was dying.

The engine rumbled back to life and off they went again. If nothing else the trip had given Harley plenty of time to think, and think he had. It was like, all he had been able to do. So he’d sat and he’d thought about how stupidly excited he was to _finally_ be going to New York to hang out with Tony. He’d practically been begging for it since the moment he met the man. Well, really he’d been expecting their crazy meeting would be a one off and that would be the last he’d hear from Tony Stark because why the hell would Iron Man make time to check up on some random kid? But after that night he’d come home to see his garage totally transformed, well, he’d learnt that Tony Stark wasn’t one to just let his allies be forgotten. Yeah, he’d called Harley an ally. What a loser. 

At last though, Tony was letting Harley come visit. Apparently he was not going to allow an “actual child free reign of my lab Harley, I know my reputation but I’m not _that_ irresponsible,” or whatever. But Harley had just turned seventeen which means Tony basically had no more excuses left. Plus, Harley was pretty sure he wanted him to come visit anyway.

 

-

 

An hour later and Harley was nearly there. So. Damn. Close. 

He’d just received a text from Tony telling him that Happy would be at the station to pick him up. Thank god, he was not in the mood to get on the New York subway after the trip he’d just taken. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, almost tempted to ask why he wouldn’t be picking him up himself. It was probably because of that kid. Really, he didn’t mean to let the grimace cross his face yet that’s exactly what happened. Of course it was because of that random kid, figures. 

It’s been fine at first, just a passing mention by Tony that he had hired some new intern that was pretty smart. What else was new at Stark Industries? But then he’d come up in conversation again. And again. And again. Tony seemed insistent in mentioning the guy practically every time they talked which, uh, yeah was _not_ often and Harley seriously didn’t need to waste half of the very limited time he spent actually talking to Tony spent on some random kid he’d never even met. Seriously it wasn’t like he was jealous or anything.  

Oh, shit.

Maybe he was. 

Ahhh fuck. 

That would explain literally so much. It would explain the way Harley’s blood heated in anger, the way his eyes would roll back in reflex the moment he heard the words “My intern did something pretty impressive yesterday, I think you’d really get along”, it would also explain the incessant need Harley had been feeling for the past few months to just get to New York and _prove_ to Tony once and for all that Harley was not just some random kid that he happened to have run into when he needed help. Harley was smart. Harley helped save Iron Man when he was twelve. Harley was better than whoever this Peter kid was. And he would prove it.

 

-

 

“There you go kid,” said Happy, whose name, Harley had learned, was hilariously ironic, “Now what’s the deal when you see him?” 

“I tell Tony that you are not a chauffeur to all the random children he decides to adopt.” Harley chimed dutifully, repeating the words he’d heard at least a half dozen times on the ride over to the tower, and woah. What a tower. He took a moment to just peer up at the crazy tall building with a giant A stamped on the side, sheets of glass reflecting the morning sun.

Oh hell yeah. He could get used to a view like that. 

Then a cloud passed out of the way of the sun and the beautiful reflections suddenly turned to a blinding glare which effectively reminded Harley just why it was he never woke up in the morning. He blinked the spots out of his eyes and immediately wished it was night, he was seriously not a morning person. 

He entered the tower, feeling out of place the moment he walked through the shining doors to an impeccable lobby filled to the brim with fancy people in suits that probably cost more than his entire house. He watched them all, scurrying to and fro, and wondered if they actually had important places to go or if they all just liked to appear like they did. Huh, maybe that was all anyone was doing in places like that, just trying to fit in. Harley nearly laughed out loud when he thought that and looked down to see his own crumpled jeans and tshirt, a limited edition Dora The Explorer watch strapped to his wrist as a joke only one other person would get. God, he must look like such a mess, especially if the withering stares he was receiving from snotty adults was anything to go by. He was almost tempted to stick out his tongue just because he could, or maybe just let them know he was there to see Tony Stark, he could bet half of them hadn’t even seen him but there Harley was, by personal invite. Hah. 

He was so distracted fantasizing about the expression they would be making he entirely missed the person right in front of him. They slammed into the floor simultaneously, both groaning in unison as they blinked away their surprise. Harley’s eyes drifted over the sight of another teenage boy. A dorky science pun adorned a shirt that sat snuggly against a body that was honestly too lean and muscular to be legal, and right above the shirt was quite possibly the single cutest boy he’d ever seen. Soft curling brown hair that Harley immediately wanted to run his fingers through and just… damn. That jaw line. His eyes were still preoccupied drinking in the sight of his lips moving he almost didn’t register the question he was being asked.

“W-what? Oh, oh yeah I’m fine,” Harley tore his gaze back up to the boys eyes, finding nothing but kindness and concern. It took all of his will power to ignore the light red flush on the other boy’s cheek, clearly he was embarrassed at not noticing Harley even though he was the one to run into him. Oh! He should apologize. Right.

“I’m so sorry for running into you like that,” Harley said, scrambling to his feet quickly just so he had time to reach down his hand, offering him help up. The boy considered the extended hand, glancing up at Harley’s face before shyly reaching up to accept the offer. Harley pulled back a moment late, caught up in the feel of his rough calloused palms against Harley’s own skin. It seemed he needn’t have even offered help in the first place though, the boy’s grip was firm which shouldn’t have been such a surprise considering the muscles he could still see. And oh, that sure was one hell of a sight.

The boy laughed, shaking himself off. Their shared grip was released so he could pull the mess of curls back out of his face. “It’s alright, my fault really I should’ve been paying more attention.” He grinned at Harley, who immediately smiled back. Who wouldn’t when someone smiled at them like _that._

“Really it was my fault,” Harley insisted. 

“Well, still I’m sorry for knocking you over. Don’t know my own strength sometimes,” he laughed as though he’d just said something particularly funny, Harley was almost tempted to join him just to make sure he kept making those charming sounds. “I’ve gotta go, but I hope you have a nice day.” The boy waved suddenly as he stepped away, drifting into the flowing crowd of suits and briefcases that passed through the lobby. 

Harley just caught his final words over the sounds of shuffling feet, and then he could see him no more.

“Damn it,” Harley muttered, wiping his face in frustration, “I didn’t even get his name.”

He managed to keep pouting at his mistake the entire time he made his way up towards the lab that the cool AI lady told him Tony was in. At least half of the pouting had to do with the fact that he was embarrassed at how much of a mess he looked. It suddenly stopped being as fun when he was messing with judgemental adults as opposed to cute boys. Damn it.

His sour mood was quickly dispelled the second he stepped out of the elevator, being sure to thank the nice AI lady before he moved further into the room and… woah.

From wall to wall Harley could see the entire lab was filled to the brim with blueprints and design for machines and technologies decades beyond half the products on the market. He grinned widely when he caught sight of an old Iron Man armour laid out across a table, it looked like it was taking a nap as opposed to simply lying in wait for it’s creator’s return. He was so caught up in wandering around, picking up half finished inventions that Tony must’ve begun creating in a fit of inspiration before something else caught his fancy, that Harley didn’t notice the very obvious lack of Tony anywhere in sight. That particular mystery was soon solved without Harley even realising it was a mystery that was in need of solving. 

“Gah!” Tony yelped, crashing to the floor. Harley whirled around to the sudden cacophony of noise where he witnessed the not-quite-so-empty Iron Man armour open from it’s place on the floor to reveal Tony Stark who sat up suddenly, looking wildly around the room until his eye’s alighted upon Harley’s frozen form.

“Uh hi?” Harley said, half raising one hand in greeting, wary of the way Tony was waving his hands around carelessly like he’d forgotten it was currently encased in a weapon that had the power to just melt Harley’s flesh with one careless blast. No pressure or anything.

“Harley?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re here.”

“So it seems.”

Tony cleared his throat and clambered to his feet, apparently prepared to just pretend like Harley totally hadn’t caught just caught him sleeping in his own armour.

“So kid, you’re here. That’s great. You want a tour?”

Harley nodded, vaguely curious what Tony would consider qualified as a tour. It turned out that an exclusive tour of a very interesting and expensive Stark lab involved Tony meandering around and pointing at projects he was working on and getting halfway through an explanation before becoming distracted by something else that “is way better than that garbage, see now _this_ one is what you want to be looking at Harl”. 

Harley was just putting down a device that was called a “disintegrator ray” and was in the middle of debating whether or not that title was a joke when Tony called out to him from across the room. In his hands were a pile of tools and, holy shit, that was the Iron Man armour. Holy shit. Tony wanted his help fixing Iron Man. 

 _Yes._  

_That’ll show Tony’s stupid intern who’s the favourite. Excellent._

 

-

 

Sunlight streamed through the window panes above Harley, who lay draped across the gigantic bed he’d been given for his stay at the tower. His fingers ran softly over the soft silk sheets as he smiled lazily at the ceiling, happy to spend some time doing absolutely nothing. It was glorious.

FRIDAY, as he had learnt the AI lady was named, alerted him that Tony was in the kitchen if he’d like to join him. He grumbled even as he got dressed, ignoring the absolute mess that was his hair because if he’d learnt anything in the past two days of hanging around the man, Tony was incredibly unobservant for a certified genius. If the two of them were busy making things in the lab Tony’s attention would be solely occupied by whatever was in his hands with zero regard for the outside world. Harley had met Pepper perhaps only because she had come to the lab to check that Tony had actually fed Harley at some point in the first twenty four hours they were together because “even if you can survive on nothing but coffee and sleep deprivation you are responsible for this young man Tony, pay attention” to which his reply had been “Oh, Pepper. You’re here.” So Harley was interested at just what would be offered as a breakfast made by Human Disaster Tony Stark. 

The smell of chocolate led Harley right to Tony who was perched upon a bench at the kitchen bar, absentmindedly eating a chocolate crepe from a ludicrously tall pile. Harley wandered over to inspect and to his great surprise they did actually look edible. Without looking up from his tablet Tony snorted in amusement at Harley’s antics. 

“Kid they’re fine. I ordered them to be brought up. Don’t worry even I wouldn’t subject you to my cooking.”

Harley grinned at him, entirely shameless about his obvious scepticism of Tony’s abilities. He’d heard Pepper laughing about the omelete he once tried to make so really no one could blame Harley for being more than a little suspicious. After taking a bite he figured that they were far too good to even be real. God, he seriously loved staying at the tower it was like nothing could ruin his mood.

“Hey Harley you have any plans to actually see New York or are you just going to hole yourself up in my lab for the next six weeks?” 

“What’s wrong old man? You afraid I’m going to outdo all of your work?” Harley teased, shoveling more food into his mouth.

“Aright first of all; no calling me old. I will ban you from the city. Hey, don’t raise your eyebrow at me like that. I could totally do it if I wanted. You don’t know my power.” Tony waggled his finger at him in some mock attempt to appear like an actual adult for once, “And second of all I’m trying to nicely kick you out of here kid. I’ve got an, uh, appointment with my intern that I need you to skedaddle away from for a minute. You can probably coerce Happy into taking you somewhere.” Tony’s new line of thinking distracted him from noticing the scowl that crossed Harley’s face at the mention of that intern. “Y’know his name is Peter-” _yeah, he did know thanks_ Remind me to introduce you two at some point. You’d like him. It doesn’t always look it but he’s got an attitude to rival yours at times.” Tony chuckled at that, clearly reminiscing about that kid again. What else is new?

“Cool. I’ll get out of your hair.” Of course Tony didn’t notice the sudden coldness in Harley’s voice. Why would he? He’d probably notice if it was fucking _Peter_ instead.

Harley stalked out of the room, leaving half of his breakfast behind. God. Why was he so jealous? It was stupid. He hadn’t even met the kid so there is no way he was being fair. Could Tony seriously not see how much he meant to Harley? Yeah he wasn’t exactly great at talking about feelings, and if he remembered anything from all those years ago when they’d first met,; neither was he. But still, what kid would wait five years to finally hang out with someone who, against all odds, actually had become a friend to him, and then that kid would be happy to share the very limited amount of time he had with him just so he could meet some random guy he didn’t care about. Sure maybe it was kind of selfish but didn’t Harley deserve to be selfish? Just this once. 

He was still fuming even as he made his way down to the bottom floor of the tower he wasn’t sure yet just where he was going to go. A small cafe situated in the corner at least gave him an idea of his next move; drown out his anger with coffee.

While he waited for his order Harley leaned back against the bench, his eyes perusing the lobby. He watched more busy people going about their busy lives and he was quite content to just keep doing that until he caught a glimpse of an unruly mess of brown curls. He knew those curls. 

“Double espresso for Harvey?”

He reached behind quickly, grasping the proffered coffee, his eyes never leaving his target who was about to get on the elevator. Fuck.

Harley did not sprint across the lobby just so he could check out a cute guy. That would be childish. He did however walk very quickly and intensely over there just managing to squeeze in right before the doors closed. He was almost tempted to think FRIDAY was watching and let him in because he was her favourite. Well, he was going to think that anyway.

Quickly Harley got his heavy breathing under control, his eyes locked firmly onto his coffee cup, he didn’t want it to look like he’d just dashed into the elevator specifically to talk to the boy again. Even though he had. But no one needed to know that. After a few seconds had passed, plenty of time probably, he glanced up and… oh. There he was. Harley seriously hoped FRIDAY didn’t monitor heartbeats because his was suddenly racing and he did _not_ need her to tell Tony that Harley was crushing on some random guy in the tower. Oh no. It’d been to long. He was staring. Crap. Distraction distraction distraction.

“Nice to run into you again,” the boy looked up at his words, recognition flashing in his eyes, “And we didn’t even fall over this time.”

The boy laughed, his voice soft and sweet.

Harley wished he wasn’t such a damn sap but there he was. It was chessy and gross and he was too pretty for words damnit.

“Yeah I think we should just maybe try and avoid doing that again,” he said “It’s a bit easier to talk to you when we’re not both lying on the floor.” 

Harley really didn’t mean to imaging the two of them lying somewhere else… not that he was exactly complaining. 

“So,” he struggled to think of any topic of conversation now that he’d successfully confined the two of them in an enclosed space “What do you do around the tower?” Maybe one of his parents worked nearby. Or he could be some kind of intern, although judging by the new but equally dorky t-shirt it must not have been for anyone that important if he could get away with dress code like that.

“Oh, nothing too exciting. I’m just an intern here,” _called it_ “How about you, uh, Harvey?” He asked, peering at the cup in Harley’s hand that very much did not say his name. Damnit.

“Close, it’s actually Harley.” He said, sticking out his free hand to shake. The boy smiled kindly, clasping their hands together in another grip and yet again Harley was impressed by the sheer amount of strength in that slender body.

“Nice to properly meet you Harley my name is P-”

Just at that moment the doors opened onto the boy’s floor in the moment of distraction it provided he seemed to forget he was halfway through introducing himself, instead he just checked his watch, panic lighting his expression and began to dash out of the door. At the last second before he ran from Harley’s view he seemed to remember they were talking.

“Sorry Harley! I am so freaking late I gotta go. Bye!”

The doors closed.

Fuuuucckkkkkk.

 

-

 

The sun was setting by the time Harley made his way back to the tower. Was he avoiding his return because he didn’t want to explain the lasting misery that he’d been sporting since that morning’s encounter? Or maybe it was just because he was _not_ in the mood to meet that intern Tony kept talking about.

It appeared though, when he finally alighted upon the right floor that it didn’t matter what his wishes may have been because even as he was in the process of collapsing face first into his bed he became aware of the sticky note attached to his pillow.

 

_Harley,_

_Come meet Peter. We’re in the lab._

_Knock first_

_The Mechanic_

 

Urghhhh.

Harley dragged himself back up, determined to be as big a pain in the ass as he could. Maybe that was childish of him considering Tony didn’t even know he was pissed let alone _why_. But still. It was the principal of the matter.

His feet tapped impatiently against the floor as he rode the elevator for what felt like the hundredth time that day. In the back of his mind he pondered just how quickly he could get himself excused from the meeting. Even if he acted like a total brat he knew Tony wouldn’t kick him out. The two of them had a bit of a mutual understanding that they both sucked with emotions and sometimes that came out in the form of them being rude as hell. If Harley could forgive Tony for abandoning him in the cold as a child he was pretty sure he should be forgiven for being a dick for ten minutes to some random kid.

The doors opened. Harley resolutely kept his eyes on the phone in his hand, determined to get out of there in five minutes tops.

“Harley is that you?” came Tony’s voice from somewhere amidst the mess of machinery. Jesus christ, where had it all even come from? None of that was present the night before which means he and that stupid intern in their “appointment” must’ve been doing something seriously fun. Fuck.

He rounded the corner of something that looked like a cross between a cement mixer and laser cannon, he caught a glimpse of Tony and the back of some teenager before remembering he was supposed to be moodily avoiding any sort of interaction. 

“-well yeah Mr Stark, obviously the tensile strength has gotta be questioned. I’d like to not fall out of the sky please but it’s at least worth a look at right? If we got these shooter’s mechanics sorted it would at least halve the amount of wind drag I get every swing and then we coul-” 

The kid’s voice stopped with a noise of surprise, Harley couldn’t be sure but he thought Tony might’ve just jabbed the kid in the stomach. Sheesh. It’s not like Harley actually cared about whatever they were saying, he was way too preoccupied with the fact that the guy called Tony “Mr Stark”. If they weren’t even on a first name basis maybe he’d actually had nothing to worry about the entire time and was just being a dramatic little shit for no reason. While that wouldn’t exactly surprise him he figured he should at least give the kid a chance before going back to Operation: Be A Dick. 

With a heaving sigh in preparation for whatever may come ahead Harley finally dragged his eyes up. First he noticed Tony standing there with his arms crossed and a disapproving look on his face. Oh right…. Harley was supposed to have knocked. Whoops. It’s not like it mattered anyway. Next he saw the blueprints on the screen before the pair, they were showing some kind of arm brace thing but the second Tony registered where he was looking he tapped a button and they were swiftly replaced with designs for a car engine. Spoil sport. 

At last, against his better judgement, Harley looked at Peter. 

Oh.

Oooh.

“Hey.”

“Hey you,” the boy- Peter, said. Smiling widely at Harley, “Fancy running into you again.”

Harley grinned back. “What a coincidence.”

“Wait,” Tony said, looking between the pair that were yet to remember he was still standing right there, “How have you two met? You weren’t supposed to meet.”

“What? But you told me-” “You said I should-” “That I was supposed to-”

“-Meet this guy.” They finished together. Both laughing immediately at their unexpected synchronising.

Tony huffed, already realising he was about to be outnumbered by smartass teenagers that apparently liked each other enough to gang up against him when he was wrong. Good. “Yeah, you were _meant_ to meet now, because I said so.”

They both fixed him with identical stares. Surely with the two of them working together Tony would figure out how much he sounded like a petulant child who just had their surprise birthday party spoiled for them. Sucks for him.

“Alright fine,” Tony said dramatically, “I guess I don’t need to do introductions then. Guess I should just leave you two to it because clearly I’m not needed here anymore.”

“Mr Stark calm down.”

“You can leave if you want,” Harley said, smirking just enough that they knew he was joking, but also would have been fine with it if Tony actually had decided to bugger off somewhere else for a while.

“Yeah good luck with getting me out of here that easily kid,” Tony said ruffling Harley’s hair which he then immediately reached back up to fix while Tony laughed at his oh-so-sudden obsession with his appearance, “But I’m not going to leave either of you, let alone both of you, alone in here when there are far too many things lying around that will explode because I do not intend to explain to your parental figures how it was such a tragedy that you both were unfortunately lost in the fires.”

“Why do you think we’d go straight for fire?” Peter asked, indignant.

“Yeah, obviously I’d go for the explosives.” Harley chimed in, ignoring the way Tony just rolled his eyes, clearly not believing him. _Hah, proving him wrong will be fun_ , Harley thought.

“Cool, so you’re now banned from the lab,” he said dismissively, he turned to Peter, “You’re my new favourite.”

“I was the favourite before?” Harley couldn’t help but ask.

“I wasn’t?” Came Peter’s response.

“Okay you know what?” Tony said, his gaze flicking between the two of them, “I regret this. I now see that bringing the two of you together was a terrible idea because you just want to gang up on me and that’s illegal.” he ignored the twin snorts of amusement, “That’s on me for not thinking this through. I accept that. So,” He looked between them one final time, coming to a decision, “New plan: We’re going upstairs, stealing Pepper from work and having dinner together so there can be an actual responsible adult around to manage you two.”

Harley muttered under his breath as Tony shepherded them out of the room back towards the elevator, “More like the three of us.” He was happy that not only did Tony entirely not hear what he’d said, but apparently Peter had, causing him to throw his head back and laugh loudly while Tony simply ignored the pair of them. Harley really hoped the blood he could feel rushing under his skin wasn’t showing brightly on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

So it seemed Harley had a dilemma. He contemplated the rather… _unique_ position he was in while conversation flowed freely around the dinner table. First, he had to address just how it was he had ended up eating take out Chinese food with a superhero, a CEO of one of the largest companies in the world, and some kind of genius prodigy teenager. He also should probably address the prodigy teenager sized elephant in the room.

On the one hand Harley had to deal with being sat across from the very guy he’d spent months hating from afar and now he had to deal with the way Tony obviously cared about him right in front of his face. Sheesh, Tony might as well be throwing adoption papers in his face. Which brought him to the other hand, which is that Harley also liked Peter.

Sure he liked the guy’s face, and his body, don’t forget the body. But annoyingly enough he also just liked _Peter._ He was funny, and charming in his own kind of awkward way. But even more annoying was that Peter was fucking brilliant. Harley was smart, he knew that about himself, hell, it was practically all that had been getting him through high school because he knew after that he’d be able to get into any college he wanted (even without Tony’s generous offer to pay, Harley would be getting scholarships thrown at him soon enough), but Peter, well, Peter just oozed intelligence and he did it _so_ casually. He would be halfway through talking about how he and his friend had a totally reasonable fantheory about what it would be like to direct the Death Star through space, and the next second he would be drawing on napkins outlining the necessary physics to consider in terms of weight and velocity and how they would relate to the overall specificity of any attempts to “drive” a machine of that size. Harley was entranced by the way Peter spoke about his passions, even something as dumb as whether or not you could drive a planet using a steering wheel suddenly became interesting to him. He would gladly sit and listen to Peter’s voice for hours on end while he came up with hypotheses and in the same breath would solve the very same problems he was proposing. It was as though his mind worked a mile a minute and it was possibly the most fascinating thing Harley had ever seen.

The final aspect of the dilemma in which Harley had found himself was that, despite his insistence that he was an oblivious loser, Tony seemed to have noticed exactly where Harley’s  attention had been focused all evening. Like an asshole he’d taken to smirking at Harley every time Peter looked away to talk to Pepper. When that had gotten little more than a grunt and a roll of the eyes, he’d moved onto just winking straight at Harley and dipping his head towards Peter. Yeah, because what he’d been thinking had been oh so subtle before.

“So, Harley,” Pepper said, snapping both of them out of their battle of glares, “Have you liked New York so far?”

If he was the praying type he would thank any and every god out there for Pepper Potts. It was entirely possible she was the only force in the world that kept Tony in check.

“Well to be honest,” Harley replied, a smile on his face well aware everyone was looking at him then, “I haven’t seen a whole lot of it. Been a bit cooped up in here whoops.” He was sure to throw Tony a smug smile while Pepper rounded on him for not taking Harley outside.

“He probably hasn’t seen the sun in days Tony, come on.” She huffed, ignoring Tony’s excuses.

“Alright Pep, alright!” Oh no, Tony was smiling now. That was suspicious. “I have the perfect plan don’t you worry. Pete can take him out.”

Out? On a date? Did Tony Stark just set him up on a date? Did that just happen?!

“Oh yeah!” Peter chirped, looking earnestly at Harley, “I’d love to hang out.”

Oh… right. Friends are a thing. Harley smiled back, sure that his expression gave away none of the disappointment he was surprised to find clawing at his throat, “Sounds good.”

“Oh man I know exactly where to go.” A distracted look came across Peter’s eyes as he clearly began reminiscing “You like churros?’

 

-

 

Streaks of blues and pinks and purples crossed the sky in hazy waves as the sun set along the New York skyline. As he sat on the top of a roof somewhere in Queens, a churro in his hand and a view to die for, Harley thought that overall, he’d had a pretty good day. After Tony’s little idea at dinner Peter had launched himself into planning the best possible day for Harley which somehow resulted in him being woken up at nine in the morning to incessant knocking at his door. He’d opened it expecting to see Tony in some kind of manic about a new idea he’d had but instead he’d come face to face with a very excited Peter who was practically buzzing with all the energy he managed to contain in that very fine body of his. Speaking of bodies, they had both seemed to realise Harley was standing there in nothing but his boxers at the same time. They’d both flushed red while Peter stuttered out something about giving Harley a few minutes to get dressed.

He’d exited a few minutes later, his blush mostly under control. Honestly it was ludicrous how he kept behaving around Peter. He’s just a _guy!_ Well, a cute guy. Like, a super cute guy. But still.

Peter had taken his hand and begun dragging him down the hall towards the elevator while Harley focused very intently on the way their fingers intertwined beautifully together. He’d only begun to actually pay attention again when they exited out into the morning sunlight and Peter began to wind his way through the crowd, his hand never leaving Harley’s grasp. They’d spent the day going through normal touristy shit that Harley secretly loved. Not only because he came from Middle of Nowhere Tennessee but also because Peter seemed to have come to the conclusion that the only way to truly experience New York was to have a local tell you all the stupidest stories about tourists there. They’d found themselves looking over at the Statue of Liberty where Peter decided to give a running commentary of how seriously gross it was up at the top and the wind was apparently quite loud but it was a hell of a view. Harley prefered to just watch the way Peter would light up the more he talked rather than having to think too hard about just how it was he had figured out what it was like at the top of the statue.

Peter had been insistent on taking him to the best spots all over the city, from Washington Heights to a tiny bodega in the middle of Queens which had resulted in the two of them spending a lot of time together squashed far too close (or perhaps never close enough) on the subways where Peter constantly bemoaned just how slow it was. They’d come up with various little games to pass the time together. At first they’d simply pointed at a stranger and the other boy would have to come up with an entire backstory of who they were and what they were doing there. After some time though they had become bored of that and had bought a packet of grapes which they’d taken to just throwing into the other’s open mouth. Harley was particularly pleased by how many disapproving glares they’d got from daily commuters.

It was only after Harley had made some offhand comment about his tired feet that Peter had even seemed to remember that normal people actually did get tired after hours on end of walking around the city.

“Oh shit yeah. My, uh, my feet are killing me too. Hey! Wanna go get those churros I was talking about?”

Which is how Harley had found himself perched on the edge of a roof of some apartment building, churro in hand and Peter’s body pressed tightly against his as they watched the sunset together. Fuck. That was cheesy and damn if he wasn’t loving every second of it.

“Hey,” he said after they’d lain there together for a while, food finally finished just enjoying the company, “Thanks for today. Seriously I think I needed to just get out of that tower for a change. Plus I’m pretty sure you’re a way better tour guide than Tony could ever be.”

Peter snorted in amusement, one of his hands coming up to idly play with a curl that kept escaping from the mess around his face, capturing Harley’s undivided attention.

“Yeah I know what it’s like. Sometimes I feel like I could just get lost in those labs, stay there for days on end. There’s just so much to do y’know?” He said, his voice hushed to a whisper. The words spoken on that roof were meant for them and them alone. “Mr Stark is great, seriously, like, he’s totally awesome but I feel like he might forget that I’m actually a teenager sometimes. He has all this talk about sending me to MIT or just what the future might hold for me that I realise I just need a bit of space to just… be me.”

Harley couldn’t help it when his lips curled into a soft smile at the implication that Peter felt like he could just be himself with Harley.

“Nah I get you. I’ve felt more like myself today alone than I have in years.” He hadn’t exactly meant to say that out loud but he had which of course meant Peter just had to turn, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at where Harley resolutely continued to lie flat on his back, his legs kicking back and forth over the lip of the building’s edge. Well, he’d already started talking, may as well finish. “It’s just, god Tennessee sucks y’know?” He laughed softly, a half hearted chuckle that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “But here in New York it’s like there’s opportunity everywhere. I mean, even today you just saw that the old guy needed a hand with his groceries and you just _jumped_ to help. That’s stupidly amazing to me. It’s like by watching you I can see the way that the whole world can just be whatever you make it. And today you made it a little bit better.”

Peter beamed down at Harley. The golden rays of sunlight catching in his hair, making him appear to be framed by a glowing halo of gold which seemed entirely apt as far as Harley was concerned.

“You think that's impressive?” Peter asked, incredulous “Man I saw you just stand in front of a mechanic shop and deconstruct every single part that was holding that Cadillac engine together by sight alone. You just… knew that. Off the top of your head.” Peter sighed, running his hand through the  hair which Harley was quickly learning had become a real obsession of his, “Look, I don’t know what Tennessee is like but if I have learnt anything from seeing you today it’s that you have so much freedom to just _do_ stuff. God. I wish I was able to just pick up some engine and take it home so I can tear it apart but my Aunt May is already pissed off at me enough for dumpster diving for any electronics I can find.” And with that final statement he flopped back down onto the roof beside Harley, their fingers brushing lightly against one another.

“Guess the grass really is always greener huh?” Harley asked. Peter just nodded sagely, like the two of them had just discovered a secret of the universe and were definitely not simply repeating an age old sentiment. “For two pretty smart kids we’re kind of dumbasses.”

He was surprised at the way Peter turned to him at that, his eyes wide and his mouth opened in a small ‘o’ of surprise.

“You think I’m smart?” He said shyly. Harley just frowned, confused at how on earth that had come as a surprise to him.

“Man, you’re honestly too smart. I mean, I’ve been hearing about you for months and I still wasn’t ready to see your mind at work.”

“Months?”

“Oh, haha yeah…” Harley trailed off.

“How did you know about me months ago? Do you know who I am?” Peter’s light tone was not  quite convincing enough to cover the concern that laced his words.

“Don’t worry I’m not a stalker or anything,” Harley reassured him even though that didn’t quite seem to be what he was worried about “I just mean because Tony talks about you. Like, all the time.”

“Oh,” Peter huffed a relieved laugh “yeah I’ve been hearing about ‘this guy Harley I know, you’d love him Pete’ basically since I met Mr Stark.”

He knew he shouldn’t be smiling so much at the idea that he and Peter were so well matched that anyone could guess that he’d love him but that didn’t seem to stop a goofy grin from appearing.

“Hope I didn’t disappoint,” Harley joked, entirely unprepared for the way Peter’s eyes darkened and he swept his gaze up and down Harley’s body laying beside him.

“No,” he said slowly, “I don’t think you could if you tried.”

Oh.

Tension hung in the air, heavy between them. The only thing Harley could hear was the rush of blood in his ear and the sounds of their breaths mingling together. At some point they must have both sat up, their faces only inches apart. Harley couldn’t help the way his eyes flickered to Peter’s lips and back.

Well, Harley had never exactly been a patient person which is why it took only a second of deliberation before he began to lean in, pleased at the soft sound of surprise Peter made before he too began to close the distance.

Their lips were only a hair's breadth away from each other when the shrill piercing of a police siren appeared, jolting them apart.

Fuck.

Harley was entirely prepared to get right back to what had just been about to happen but Peter’s attention had been lost, he fidgeted in place for a moment before turning desperately to Harley.

“I am _so_ sorry Harley but I’ve got to go,” God damn it. Harley couldn’t even be mad because Peter’s wide brown eyes were far too sincere for him to even question whatever excuse he was going to say next. “I just realised someone needs my help and I promised I would be there. I’m seriously sorry.”

And then he was gone.

Harley half heartedly peered over the edge of the roof as Peter bounded down the fire escape before running off into the street.

He groaned, running his hands down his face as he lay back on the hard rooftop. Thoughts of Peter swirled in his mind, his hair, his face, his lips. Fuck. Harley had been _so close._

At last after mourning the death of his chance Harley sat up again, prepared to make his way back to the tower right until he came to the realisation that he had no fucking clue where he was. Shit.

 

-

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Tony asked the moment Harley trudged into the kitchen.

“How do you know something’s wrong?” Harley asked, genuinely curious.

“You’re being all…” he gestured vaguely at Harley, “That.”

“Gee thanks,” he said a dryly as possible, plonking down on a nearby seat. “Anyway I’m fine it’s nothing.”

Tony chewed thoughtfully on the cold pizza he had in his hand, looking at Harley like he was a puzzle that could be figured out.

“Peter ditched you huh?” He asked, a smug grin on his face when he saw the way Harley stopped with surprise. He peered at Tony trying to figure out how he’d possibly known, all he got in return was a self satisfied expression as he was so proud that he was right. “Sorry bout that kid, he had some important stuff to do,” sheesh wasn’t that specific “I’m sure he’ll come complaining tomorrow about how mad he is don’t worry about it.”

“I wasn’t _worried,”_ Harley sneered while he reached over to steal the slice of pizza Tony had clearly been just about to grab, “It was just… unexpected is all. It’s fine he can do whatever he wants I don’t care.”

Tony, like an asshole, just laughed disbelievingly.

“Yeah sure thing Harl, and tomorrow I’m going to sell Stark Industries to Hammer Tech right?”

Harley didn’t even have time to come up with a witty response because Tony had already snatched the rest of the food off the table and retreated out of the door, still chuckling. Really he should’ve guessed sympathy wouldn’t be what he was going to get from Tony Stark of all people.

 

-

 

After much deliberation and an excessive amount of lying in bed and pouting that shall not be mentioned, Harley decided he wouldn’t bother chasing after Peter.

Sure, the guy was cute, and smart, and funny, an- _no._ No more pining. No more looks at him through his periphery. None of that. They’d had a chance and maybe Peter actually did care at one point but he’d clearly made his choice on that roof. Which was _fine. Seriously it was fine. Shut up Tony_.

So, Harley would stop all the stupid pining he’d been doing since the moment he first crashed into the boy with gorgeous brown eyes and unruly hair and instead he would just have to learn to befriend the other kid who works with Tony. That’s what they’d be, just… peers. Acquaintances. Maybe even friends but nothing more.

Even though he was the one who had come to that decision all on his own he was still miserable. He’d been moping about the tower, only happy when busy in the lab although Tony definitely seemed to have caught onto his mood. Thankfully though, he’d been sure to give Harley some distance in those moments. All things considered that probably had more to do with Tony wanting to avoid his overwhelming teenage angst as opposed to any real intuitive understanding of his emotional needs. But still. It was appreciated.

Harley was yet again in one of those moods, busy thinking morosely about Peter and how insane it was that he was still so hung up on the guy when they’d only met a week ago. Maybe part of his instant infatuation had to do with those months of him hearing about how damn perfect he was from Tony only to show up and find out he was even better than everything he’d expected. Maybe it was just because Harley still very much wanted to feel just how soft that hair really was by running his fingers through it while their mouths were preoccupied together. Those thoughts kept swirling through his head as he continued work on his prototype of a seeing-eye robot for one of his blind friends when he heard the soft sliding noise of the elevator doors opening. He didn’t even have to lift his head to know that Tony was busy sitting a few benches away welding and definitely not coming through elevators. Pepper had already checked in on them an hour before so really there was only one person that would be entering at that time of day.

“Uh, Harley?” Peter said softly, as though trying not to spook a small wounded animal. Okay. This was it. This was Harley’s chance to restart their relationship, set everything straight on a nice, calm, _platonic_ road.

He’d just decided to open with some kind of tasteless joke about abandonment and rooftops when Peter stepped into view, and all of a sudden any motivation he’d had to keep the other boy at a distance crumbled. Peter looked sad. His hands were stuffed into an oversized sweater that managed to make the lean body beneath look so soft and small that Harley just wanted to reach over and draw him into his arms and protect him from the world. What was more heartbreaking though, was the way Peter could never seem to make eye contact. Every time he looked right at Harley, shame would fill his gaze and it would flit away again.

“Harley,” he said carefully “I need to apologise again. I know it was really shitty of me to leave right when we were, uh…” Peter seemed to falter for a moment, not quite ready to verbalise what had almost happened between them. “When we were getting close, and I left with no explanation and then I didn’t know how to tell you how bad I felt so I just left it and now it’s been like four days and it feels too late but I had to say I’m sorry and I hope you don’t hate me.” He heaved in a deep breath of air and waited for Harley’s reaction.

The same Harley who was suddenly overcome by the notion that Peter genuinely cared for him, enough that he had been tearing himself up for days because he felt so bad about where he had left him. The same Harley who was in the middle of scrapping his whole stupid, petty plan to just be friends because standing before him was the type of person he needed; one who was kind and thoughtful and willing to admit to his mistakes. The same Harley who had an entirely new plan forming in the back of his mind even as he spoke.

“I understand Peter,” and wow, he could practically feel his relief from the sudden drop of Peter’s shoulders which must’ve been held up by nothing but stress and tension “you’re a busy guy, and you’ve got a life to live. I get that.” Harley stood up from his chair, circling around the bench until they were stood inches from the other, their eyes locked together. “So don’t worry about it, water under the bridge.”

Peter smiled brightly at him then. Clearly pleased that everything had worked out so wonderfully.

“Oh man that’s great I was feeling _so_ bad befo-“

Harley inched forward, closing the short gap between them as he brought his lips up past Peter’s cheek to whisper in his ear, pleased at the way Peter shivered at their closeness. His voice dropping low and husky as he talked.

“Although, I wouldn’t mind _getting close_ with you again.” He gave Peter a second to process his words, hearing the very audible gulp he made due to a suddenly very dry throat, before pulling back to lightly press his lips against Peter’s cheek. A too sweet, too chaste kiss that was over almost before it began. Harley spun on his heels immediately, and strode confidently towards the elevator, entirely satisfied with the knowledge Peter wouldn’t be able to tear his eyes from Harley’s retreating form.

As the doors closed behind him Harley caught one last glimpse of the other boy still standing frozen exactly where he’d left him. The only movement to be seen was his hand, lifting up to gently caress his skin. Right where Harley had kissed him.


	3. Chapter 3

Harley couldn’t help smiling to himself as he walked away from a flustered Peter yet again, who seemed to be struggling between the choice to stutter out some kind of confused thanks or to just stare at the steaming cup of coffee that he had just been handed with the word “cutie” written where his name should be. So the new plan was going  _ great _ . 

 

Frankly it had been one of the best decisions of Harley’s life to scrap his idea of just being platonic friends when instead he could just keep doing this: constant, shameless flirting with Peter. He’d been rewarded with just about every possible reaction he could imagine since that first kiss on the cheek. Of course there had been the usual; the lightly flushed cheeks after Harley told him he looked damn fine one morning as he walked into the lab. Then came the stuttering, only earned when Harley had draped himself over Peter’s ludicrously fit back where he sat hunched over those arm guards he’d seen blueprints of before. Harley’s only excuse for their intimate closeness was that he desperately needed  _ that _ particular screwdriver and Peter was just in his way. A particular favourite reaction came in the form of an undignified squeak when Harley had barged into Peter’s room to find the other boy half dressed, red and blue clothing strewn across the floor at his feet while Peter just stood in mute shock as Harley took his time appreciating the view of his bare chest before alerting him that they were all meeting for breakfast. 

 

Yes, he could say that the new plan was going quite well. It had been nearly two weeks of his shameless flirting and he was yet to stop being amused by the various ways Peter could look so cute and confused all at once. Harley was beginning to suspect Peter was unused to being flirted with, which while not only was it a wild concept that not everyone immediately fell in love with him on sight, it also presented Harley with countless opportunities. No matter how insistent Harley was on complimenting him, or seeking him out, or just staring longingly at him, he was sure not to go any further. At one point he had been almost certain Peter was about to just surge forward and kiss him right there in the middle of the lab after Harley had presented him with a bouquet of flowers made out of nuts and bolts, but he’d faltered at the last second and the moment had been lost. Sure, Harley could’ve reached out and drawn him back in, finally fulfilling the only thing he’d been thinking about for weeks, but no. Not yet. 

 

Was it petty of him to keep teasing just because he was still bitter that Peter had never picked up where they’d left off on the roof? Yes. 

 

Did that mean he would stop any time soon? Absolutely not. 

  
  


-

  
  


The sky had darkened into night hours ago. Only a hazy yellowed glow of street lamps lit the path before Harley who was busy regretting all of the decisions he’d made that day which had led him to walking alone at night through eerie streets where every sound caused him to jump. Really he could’ve just called Tony up and asked for money for a cab, maybe even coerced him into sending an Iron Man suit so Harley could fly back. However, he  _ seriously _ didn’t want to explain just why he was caught in the middle of Queens at night because it would take possibly half a second before Tony would put it together that he’d spent the day at Peter’s house. It was annoying enough that Tony had picked up on his plan to seduce Peter with endless flirting which had resulted in him just scoffing everytime Harley made a move which seriously killed the mood every time. So if Harley called him up asking for a ride because he’d been so caught up in teasing Peter while they’d laid sprawled together on his floor, playing video games with just little bit more than the required amount of hands, legs and arms touching together, well, then he’d never hear the end of it. So walking it was. 

 

A crashing sound rang out from an alley Harley had just passed. At first he jumped, immediately on guard, but when no other noises followed up he just chided himself for his overactive imagination. After all it was probably just a cat knocking bins over or something equally as innocent. It was only when a pair of arms emerged from the shadows, circling around his chest and mouth, holding him tightly in place that Harley realised he was right to be worried. Very, very right. 

 

His scream for help was choked off as a second person darted forward and slammed their fist into his throat so all he could do was gasp desperately for breath.

 

“Check ‘im over,” The man holding him said, his voice gruff and angry “Kid dressed like this gotta have some shit on ‘im.”

 

The woman who had punched him stepped in close, her hands trailing over his pockets in search of a wallet, although her attention seemed to be focused far more on frantic looks over her shoulders and up on the rooftops like she was expecting company. 

 

As much as he begrudged the fact he’d allowed Tony to coerce him into wearing those stupid rich kid clothes, Harley was still grateful for the man’s eternal paranoia. If he could just maneuver his left hand a bit to the side he’d be able to nudge his watch into the alert position. Then it would be no less than five minutes before Tony showed up in the suit and everything would be fine. 

 

The woman was still rummaging around his jacket pockets though, in denial that he didn’t actually even have a wallet on him. “Where is it? Where is it?” She hissed under her breath.

 

Meanwhile, Harley hadn’t stopped struggling against the stupidly strong arms that still held him in place, their vice-like grip coiled around him far too tightly for him to do much more than squirm uncomfortably, hoping that the alert his watch must be sending out would be enough for Tony to hurry the  _ hell up.  _ It seemed that he needn’t have worried about Iron Man showing up to save him though.

 

“Uh hey guys,” came a voice Harley didn’t expect or want.  _ No Peter! Go home! Don’t get hurt for me you idiot! _ Harley thought furiously, straining his neck to try and glimpse the boy behind him. Thankfully the guy holding him down also wanted to see the newcomer and whipped around immediately, Harley still in his arms which had suddenly begun shaking slightly although his grip never loosened. Instead he seemed to hold on tighter, like he was going to use Harley as a human shield but all Harley could think about was about what would happen when he registered that what he was so scared of was actually just a dumbass teenager who was apparently too brave for his own good. 

 

Instead of coming face to face with his friend though Harley found himself looking into a mask. A bright red, very obvious, very recognisable mask.

 

_ Holy shit. Spider-Man is going to save me.  _

 

He took a moment for his racing heart to calm down at the sight of the superhero before he looked around for wherever Peter was. He thought that he must’ve been hiding behind the hero,  _ thank fucking god, _ however, that thought was soon dispelled when the vigilante spoke again.

 

“Y’know if I was you I’d probably stop trying to mug this guy when Spider-Man is like, right in front of you.” He said pointedly to the woman who still had her hand submerged in Harley’s jacket pocket, “Then again maybe it’s fun for you. Let’s see what the appeal is,” He said, stepping up to put one red gloved hand inside Harley’s other pocket, but that didn’t seem to be enough so soon enough he was feeling the scraping of material as Spider-Man moved his hand, still encased in the jacket, over Harley’s torso. Holy shit. Holy shit Spider-Man was feeling Harley up in the middle of a robbery. What the  _ fuck?! _

 

“Okay yeah I can kinda see how that’s pretty fun but maybe we should all try not mugging people yeah?” He kept talking, not at all bothered at what was going on around him. More importantly he was entirely oblivious to the way Harley’s heart must have stopped for a minute there because he was pretty sure he was in the middle of a crisis but all he could think about was the way Spider-Man’s hand still rested firmly against his chest. 

 

“Man you guys aren’t very talkative huh?” Spider-Man sounded surprisingly disappointed, “Fine I guess we can just get on with this then.” He withdrew his hand from Harley’s pocket while the other boy tried not to let himself feel upset at the lack of reassuring contact. Spider-Man didn’t hesitate for a moment before flicking his hands out, a shot of his infamous spiderwebs shooting forth from an eerily familiar device on his wrist, catching both the man and woman right in the face. She stumbled back, screeching as she clawed at the stuff on her face trying to rip it off so she could see again but all she managed to do was get her hands caught in it too. While she staggered around behind them the man let go of Harley, pushing him forward into Spidey with his free hand while the other reached up to catch the webs before they could incapacitate his vision. Spider-Man took a moment to stabilise Harley before he could fall to the ground and Harley was pretty fucking sure Spider-Man winked at him before jumping forward to grapple with the man.

 

Sounds of fighting filled the air but all Harley could do was replay the last few minutes over in his mind to try and understand what just happened. 

 

He’d walked home. He’d gotten mugged. Peter had shown up but then it was Spider-Man instead. Spider-Man saved him. Spider-Man had also put his hands on Harley and winked at him. Therefore Spider-Man flirted with him. Spider-Man had the arm guards Peter was working on in the lab. Peter still hasn’t been seen. Spider-Man sounded like Peter when he talked. 

 

Spider-Man was Peter. 

 

Oh fuck.

 

Harley’s attention was brought back to the fight when he heard Spider-Man gasp in surprise, both of them staring at the knife that protruded from his stomach. Another scream lodged itself in Harley’s throat, he still couldn’t make a noise after the way the woman had hit him but Spider-Man didn’t notice. He was far too busy pulling the blade out of his own body and tossing it aside like it was little more than a mild inconvenience. Both Harley and the robbers stared at his casual display of strength with a mix of horror and awe.

 

“Seriously?” Spider-Man asked, his voice incredulous “You stabbed me? This is a new suit man. Damn it I’m going to have to wash it again to get this blood out. Ah jeez my water bill is already high enough.” Even though the mask covered any expression he might’ve been making Harley was pretty certain he was pouting. “Alright this stopped being fun, I’m just going to stop you guys and let the police arrest you.” He shot more web’s from his wrist while the mugger’s were frozen in surprise, he webbed them together and made sure they were secure before shooting another web into the wound at his side to try and staunch the flow of blood. Lastly he picked up the knife that’d been used to impale him and wiped it clean on his suit before throwing it in a nearby trash can. 

 

Harley waited, unsure where to go or what to do while Spider-Man called the police. When he’d finished the call he turned to face Harley and stepped forward to check him over for injuries. 

 

“You doing alright there buddy?” It seemed Peter had only just remembered that Harley knew him in person because he’d decided to lower his voice in a weak attempt to disguise what he sounded like. Harley just fixed him with a glare that he hoped communicated how pissed he was at getting mugged and being asked that question.

 

“Ahaha alright that’s probably fair,” Spide-Peter laughed. The sound died when he got to see the bruises that were forming around Harley’s throat, “Ah, that’s not looking too good. Does it hurt too badly?” God, his voice was so soft, so full of concern. All Harley wanted to do was collapse into the arms that were holding him up and hug Peter tight. Instead he just shook his head, immediately regretting it when that irritated the sensitive skin around his neck. The lenses of Spider-Man’s mask narrowed sceptically. “Okay so that’s a total lie then. You need some medical help. I’ll take you to Mr St- To Stark Tower if that’s alright with you? Iron Man has medical facilities there that I’m sure he won’t mind letting you use.”

 

Harley wanted to roll his eyes at Peter’s pathetic attempts to pretend like he didn’t know Harley was on his way back there already. He began to wonder just how it was he’d even kept a secret identity for so long if he was  _ that _ bad at lying. He even opened his mouth just to tell him so when he was confronted again by the fact he couldn’t speak. Damn it. Peter picked up on it immediately, probably surprised that Harley had gone that long without making one sarcastic comment the entire time. 

 

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” He purred. 

 

Purred? Peter. Purring. 

 

Holy crap, Spider-Man was still flirting with Harley. Hold up. That meant Peter was flirting with Harley. 

 

Well, two can play at that game.

 

Harley smirked at Peter, not needing words to say he could keep up with the vigilante. He moved forward, closing the gap between them until their bodies were pressed flush against each other. The movement caused Spidey’s arms which had been firmly placed on his shoulders to inspect him to slip down, curling at Harley’s waist. He tilted his head, no doubt surprised by the move, Harley could imagine that his eyebrows must’ve shot up but the expression was hidden behind the mask. Stupid mask. 

 

Harley trailed his fingers up Spider-Man’s chest gleefully. It had been fun imagining doing that to Peter when he only saw him in baggy shirts and jumpers but apparently the spandex left nothing to the imagination and it was everything he had been hoping for. His wandering hands settled at the base of Peter’s neck and he felt a subtle tightening of his grip around Harley’s waist in response. Perfect. While he was sure that Peter’s attention was being captured by the way Harley’s eyes had darkened as he gazed right at him, his fingers grasped for the edge of the mask and began to pull it up. 

 

Disappointment fluttered in his chest when Peter’s hands rose up to halt the movement, “’Afraid you don’t want to be seeing this face. It couldn’t compare to how beautiful yours is I’m sure.”

 

Harley took the hint and dropped his hands, willing to be satisfied with the knowledge Peter totally found him hot too, even if he wouldn’t reveal himself yet. He guessed he’d just have to try a little harder later on. 

 

“Now how about we get you that attention you deserve,” Spider-Man asked, all business again as he seemed to recall that vigilante’s didn’t tend to just stand on dark street corners flirting with people they’d just saved. Well Harley sure fucking hoped they didn’t do that often. “Need a lift?”

Harley nodded mutely, curious to see Peter try and alert Tony that Harley needed a ride while he pretended he didn’t know him while he was standing right there. Which is exactly why he was so unprepared for Peter to grasp Harley’s hands and pull them up around his neck, Peter’s left arm snaked around his waist while the right reached high and shot a web into the sky. Peter took a few small steps and leapt. 

 

They were launched through the air together, the only thing keeping Harley from plummeting to the ground was the tight grip he held around Peter’s neck and a warm hand pressed to his back keeping him securely in place. Once the terror passed and he stopped feeling like he was immediately about to die Harley could begin appreciate what was happening. First of all he had just gotten a front row seat to the true strength that lay within Peter’s deceptively small body. The boy had managed to jump ten feet in the air while holding a whole other human effortlessly and  _ then _ pulled them up even further into the air until they were swingingly smoothly across the city. Yeah. He could definitely get used to this. 

 

It almost pained him when they arrived at Stark Tower and Peter gently set them down on the ground. The warmth of his arm around him was sorely missed already. 

 

“You can just go on in, someone will help you out inside,” Peter said to keep up the illusion that he didn’t know Harley was perfectly capable of finding his way around just fine on his own. He watched Peter falter for a moment, clearly unsure how to end their interaction when he was in the mask. Harley took pity on him and reached out, clasping his hand around gloved wrists and drew Peter back to him. He allowed himself to be tugged close, standing still even when Harley moved until their foreheads rested against each other. Their breath mingled into one in the cool night air. Both boys reveled in the closeness, unspoken words hanging between them. Then Harley shifted in place, kissing Peter’s cheek, covered even as it was in red material, and at last he found his voice just long enough to whisper, his voice thick and rough “My hero.”

 

With those final words he turned on his heel and walked into the tower. 

 

-

 

The elevator doors hadn’t even closed before Tony was there. Concern evident on his face as he checked Harley over immediately for damage. His hands flew across his body, turning Harley to and fro while the boy just stood there rolling his eyes at Tony’s dramatics. Really he just wanted to insist he was fine so he could just go to bed and spend hours staring at the ceiling while he thought about the many revelations he had had that evening. Instead he found himself caught in Tony’s arms, encased in a hug that he’d never expected. He faltered for a moment before bringing his arms around the other man, hugging him back just as tightly. Suddenly all the adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins since the moment he’d been caught was back and Harley was suddenly grateful for Tony’s arms because he felt as though he could collapse at any moment. 

 

It wasn’t just fear that he was feeling, but the storm of emotions in his head were all too exhausting to sort out at that moment though. All he knew was that he was tired and in need of a warm bed and a hot shower. 

 

After a few seconds passed Tony drew back, but for the two of them those seconds were half an eternity. Pepper would have been proud of them both for showing actual affection for one another without a single sarcastic quip.

 

“Kid?” Tony said, “No more getting mugged okay?” 

 

Harley just snorted and nodded agreeably. Yeah, that experience wasn’t exactly one he needed to repeat any time soon.

 

“Your throat alright?” Tony asked as he examined the bruises that bloomed across his skin. Harley shook his head while Tony led him to a table covered in first aid supplies. Harley took a seat and watched as the older man rummaged around the box, pulling out a cool pack that he held up to Harley’s neck. He was of course perfectly capable of holding things by himself but he appreciated that this was clearly Tony’s attempt to make things better because he hadn’t been there to stop it himself. Actually…

 

“You didn’t come.” Harley accused. Even though his words came out with a slight wheeze Tony immediately knew what he’d said. He looked appropriately ashamed for a moment until a small grin crossed his face.

 

“I wanted to bud, I got your message,” he gestured to the watch that had continued to blink with a small red light, “but by the time I suited up FRIDAY told me Spider-Man was already there and had pretty much taken care of it himself.” Tony stopped smiling at him and all of a sudden looked quite serious, “If I thought he couldn’t handle it I would’ve been there in a second. Don’t doubt that. But, I knew you were in good hands.”

 

Ah shit. That smug smile was back which meant Tony knew what had happened between them. He must’ve been watching through some kind of camera, probably on Peter’s suit. Well, that’s awkward. Harley decided the only course of action in which he could keep some semblance of dignity was to turn the conversation back on Tony.  

 

“Spider-Man got stabbed,” He said reproachfully, watching Tony’s eyes widen in concern. 

 

“Where?” he demanded.

 

“In the stomach, but he put some webs on it and he got me over here without much trouble. He seemed to think it was fine.” Harley reassured him.

 

Tony just sighed, running his hands over his face, “That kid is going to be the death of me.”

 

Harley thought of Peter; the stupid, kind, heroic, genius, idiot that made Harley’s heart flutter every time he walked into a room.

 

“Yeah that’s probably fair,” was all he said instead. 

  
  


-

  
  


“Ah!” Harley yelped, “A spider!” 

 

Peter jumped at the sudden volume of Harley’s voice but before he could process what had just been said Harley waved his concern away, “Oh never mind it’s just you Peter. Thought I saw something.” 

Peter just nodded confusedly, accepting Harley’s lame excuse. Sheesh. He was going to have to try a lot harder it seemed if he was going to get him to realise that Harley knew his little secret. 

 

-

 

“Hey Peter,” Harley said around a mouthful of food as they sat together in the kitchen eating lunch. Peter looked over at him, curiously. “You done much  _ web  _ design before?” 

 

Instead of the reaction he was aiming for, which included some form of spluttering and maybe a return of that pretty blush of his, Peter just furrowed his brows thoughtfully before shaking his head.

 

“Nah, not really my thing. You?”

 

Harley sighed. 

 

-

 

“Could you pass me that screwdriver?” Harley asked, sidling close to Peter. The other boy flushed bright red at their proximity before reaching over to grab the tool. He passed it over, their fingers brushing lightly as Harley took it from him. In a surge of confidence he moved close to brush his lips against Peter’s cheek.

 

“My hero,” he said, waiting for a flash of recognition but all that could be found in Peter’s eyes was a dazed, far off look and a goofy smile across his face.

 

Maybe the kiss had been too distracting. Damn it. 

 

-

 

“How long are you going to keep torturing my intern?” Tony sighed. He’d just watched Harley construct a small robot that ran around on eight legs and had called Peter over just to say “Hey! It looks like you!” to which Peter had replied by halting, panic in his eyes, until he’d tried to cover it up with a laugh “No way man, I’m way prettier than that.” He’d then watched the two boys still until Harley finally spoke again “Yeah, you’re definitely too pretty.”

 

Of course Peter had just stuttered for a few seconds before laughing again, even less convincingly than the first time, and said he was going to go get some snacks. 

 

Tony had wandered over to where Harley still sat at his bench, playing with the spiderbot, a huge smile on his face which dropped the moment Tony had started talking.

 

“Psh- I, I would  _ never- _ I am not  _ torturing-  _ We’re friends!” He spluttered. He was fixed with a blank stare from Tony, clearly he hadn’t been awfully convincing just then. “Okay so  _ maybe _ I’m messing with him a bit.” He conceded.

 

“A bit?” Tony echoed, “I have never seen that kid so on edge.” Harley looked down guiltily, fiddling with the robot instead of having to see the disappointed look on Tony’s face. “Then again, I’ve also never seen him so excited everytime he walks into a room to find you there.” Tony must’ve really pitied Harley then if he let that fun little fact slip. Harley’s head shot up, checking to see if there was any sign of a lie in Tony’s expression. Instead he was met with a sense of slight amusement but mostly fond exasperation.

 

“Look,” Tony said, sitting down on the edge of the bench “I know with my history I might not exactly be the best person to give advice on…  _ courtship _ .” He ignored Harley’s indignant splutters of protest. “But all your little hints are not going to get through for a  _ long _ time. He’s just going to sit there very confused. The kid’s a genius no doubt, but sometimes people are just a bit too much of a puzzle for him to figure out. He once accidentally mentioned that he’d liked a girl for months and had done nothing more than talk about her to his little nerd friends instead of talking  _ to _ her.” Tony grinned at that, clearly amused by how blind Peter can be when it comes to people. “If you want him kid; go for it. But do us all a favour and be direct yeah?” 

 

And then he left. Probably overwhelmed by the fact that he, Tony Stark, had just given good advice to a teenager. He most likely needed to lie down for a minute and recover before people started thinking he actually cared. Harley just grinned at his retreating form, happy that he was one of the few people who got to see first hand that he really did care. What a loser, Harley thought, equally as fond.

 

-

 

So plan number whatever-he-was-up-to had so far been a bit of a disaster. He’d definitely  _ tried _ to be more direct. Well, he’d held up a newspaper that had a photo of Spider-Man branded across the front and straight up said “I’d hit that” which of course awarded him the sight of Peter choking on his drink and flushing bright red, but it still didn’t seem to get the point across. He’d tried even just saying that he and Spider-Man had the same body shape but Peter had just laughed it off. Harley was pretty sure Tony wanted him to just tell Peter that he knew directly but where was the fun in that? 

 

Which is what brought him to his new plan. It was simple really, he just needed to catch Spider-Man off guard because Peter had clearly become too accustomed to Harley’s tricks. One small problem with that though is that Spider-Man was a pain in the ass to find. 

 

Harley had spent at least three hours walking in circles around the parts of Queens that Spider-Man was most commonly found. And he definitely knew for sure that Peter was out patrolling because he’d maybe, possibly, just a little bit coerced FRIDAY into telling him the next time Peter’s suit came online. So he was out there but goddamn was it hard to narrow it down any further. Really he was almost tempted to see if there was some way to hack into the suit to find its location but Tony would probably get pissed at him so that idea got scrapped pretty quickly. 

 

Then, against all odds, Harley saw him. If he didn’t have a mission at hand he would almost have been tempted to just stand there for a moment and admire him. At night in the alley he hadn’t had a chance to properly see Spider-Man in action but right there above him was the boy he knew flying effortlessly through the air, not attached to ground in any way until he perfectly judged the peak of his leap and whipped his arm out to attach a web to a nearby building in a seamless transition that stole Harley’s breath. He was so in awe of the sheer amount of skill he was seeing that he very nearly forgot why it was he was actually there, only remembering at the last second before the red and blue clad figure disappeared.

 

“Hey!” He yelled, his voice peaking above the general city din, “Spider-Man!”

 

For one panicked moment he thought he’d missed his chance until he saw the telltale jerk of his head, clearly recognising Harley’s voice. It was almost hilarious seeing the way Peter seemed to struggle to turn elegantly, his attention too divided so that he ended up shooting a new web while still holding onto the last which was going in a different direction. He ended up hanging in the air for a moment, looking more like a confused marionette doll than superhero. At last he detangled himself and made his way over to where Harley continued to stand, an amused smirk across his face. 

 

Spider-Man landed and Harley very much didn’t look at the way all of his muscles were gloriously highlighted by the very tight fitting suit.

 

“You saved me before.” He found himself saying, grateful that the rest of his bitter thoughts about how Peter didn’t wear enough tight clothing didn’t immediately follow.

 

“Oh, uh yeah I sure did,” Spider-Man said, again doing that hilarious thing where he tried to deepen his voice so Harley wouldn’t recognise him. Wow. How he had kept his identity a secret this long would forever be a mystery to him. 

 

“Thanks,” Harley said, genuine affection in his words because he’d never really found time to say it before.

 

Peter brightened under the mask, no doubt he was grinning widely especially because he must’ve assumed that was Harley’s only reason for stopping him just then. It was almost funny how entirely oblivious he was to his true motives.

 

“You help people right?” Harley continued.

 

“Sure do,” Peter puffed out his chest in pride making him look, Harley thought, rather like an arrogant peacock. Annoyingly enough he still found it quite endearing. 

 

“Think you can give me a hand?” Peter nodded, “It’s kind of embarrassing really...” Harley trailed off. He was so close to breaking character when he saw the way Peter tilted forward, eager to hear what it was Harley was so embarrassed about. So instead he just ducked his head, hiding the smile that threatened to spill out at any moment and shuffled his feet.  “Well you see Spider-Man, there’s this boy I kind of like.” Suddenly he regretted that he wasn’t looking at Peter, then again the mask would probably cover his reaction but he could tell from the long, awkward pause alone that Peter wasn’t sure what to say. 

 

“And, uh, how do you need my help with that?” He eventually asked. Harley almost just came out then and there to tell him that he really needed to stop being jealous of that boy considering they were the same person. But no. He had a plan. He was going to stick to it. 

 

“Well I was going to meet him now but I’m new to New York, I got a bit lost.”

 

“You want me to give you directions to meet your boyfriend?” God, Harley could so easily hear the barely concealed indignation in his voice. He was actually starting to feel bad for stringing him along like this. 

 

“Actually I was hoping I could get a ride?” If Peter said no right now his entire plan would be ruined. Then again he should never have doubted just how kind he was, even though Harley could practically see the way the other boy deflated in sadness he never let on any sign he was jealous. Instead Peter simply nodded yes and asked for the address, but if he recognised it he showed no indication. Oh well, he would soon enough.

 

Swinging through the city, his arms clasped around Peter’s neck, Harley felt that it was just as thrilling as before. Although this time instead of fear and shock coursing through his veins all he could feel was excitement. He was filled with a nervous energy that pounded through his blood, the beating of his heart roared in his ears so loud he wouldn’t be surprised if Peter could feel it, pressed as close together as they were. At last they alighted softly upon the ground, Peter’s arms curving protectively around Harley’s body, holding him closer than was strictly necessary.

 

“Well, here’s your stop. Thanks for catching the Spider-Man taxi service,” he said with false cheer and a wink of the mask’s lenses.

 

“Well actually,” Harley corrected, reaching a hand out to hold him in place before he could swing away and pout for hours. Peter let out a soft noise of protest but regardless he let himself be dragged back into place, right by Harley’s side where he belonged. Harley shivered slightly from their proximity, he could feel the heat of Peter’s skin even through the suit but he couldn’t let himself get distracted. He pointed up to the roof, catching the exact moment Peter finally figured out where they were. The lenses tightened slightly, he was probably frowning at Harley’s perceived betrayal. Honestly what an idiot; Harley loved it. 

 

“Up?” 

 

In a matter of seconds Harley found himself being perched up on the roof where he and Peter had almost kissed weeks ago. Luck must have for once been on his side because as he gazed out over the view again he found the beautiful pink and purple streaks of sunset lit clouds that crossed the deep blue sky, it was perfect.

 

Until Peter tried to leave again. Goddamn. Could that boy sit still for one second?

 

“Where are you going?” Harley asked reproachfully, placing his hands on his hips jokingly as he pouted at Peter’s retreating form. 

 

“Uh, you did say you were meeting a boy here.” Peter spoke like he was talking to a child. Just in case Harley had already forgotten the exact reason he had made him take Harley all the way across the city to this very specific rooftop. “Wouldn't a third party kind of… kill the mood.”

 

Although he would definitely deny it if ever asked, Harley was pretty certain Peter only agreed to his next request because the idea of ruining Harley’s “date” was at least a little bit appealing. 

 

“Keep me company?” Harley had asked, his eyes wide open and vulnerable. Peter paused for only a second, the temptation to run away almost winning out. But then his voice softened and he walked back to Harley, accepting the outstretched hand and allowed himself to be pulled down so they sat side by side at the edge of the rooftop, watching the sun follow it’s natural arc towards the horizon together. 

 

Harley was so entranced by the feel of Peter sitting right beside him, their arms pressed against one another, that he allowed himself to forget what he’d even come to do. He just let himself enjoy this rare moment of peace. Peter seemed to be of the same mind, as he slumped back, leaning on his forearms, free from any feeling of responsibility for once. He allowed himself to just exist. To be a young man. To sit with the boy he liked, happy with their shared silence. 

 

That silence was ended however when Harley noticed the way Peter shivered. For a second he thought perhaps he was just cold until he remembered that the suit definitely had a heater installed in it. He’d stolen the blueprints for it off Tony earlier that week. Which meant that Peter was shivering not from cold but from his presence. Maybe he was just as thrilled as Harley was to be sitting together, enveloped in the memories of what had almost happened right where they sat. 

 

“Here,” Harley said eventually, draping his own jacket around Peter’s shoulders. He could only imagine the way his face would be flushing lightly, his lips curled softly into a smile that showed right through his eyes. The way he did when he thought Harley wasn’t watching. Peter wrapped the dark green material closer around him and Harley had to remind himself to not get caught up in thoughts about how good Peter would look in his clothes. 

 

“Thank you,” Peter said softly, not bothering to disguise his voice. The world could have stopped spinning but they wouldn’t have noticed. They were too wrapped up in eachother. In the soft rays of light that flooded their bodies in warmth. In the way their fingers brushed against one another. This moment was for them. No one else could ruin it. “I’m sure your boyfriend must be one lucky guy.” 

 

Oh. Come on. Seriously?

 

Harley huffed a small laugh, astounded that he could be so oblivious.

 

“Peter, there is no other guy.” 

 

He resolutely continued staring ahead, staring blankly at the beautiful clouds before him while beside him he felt Peter jerk in place. Shock radiating out from his every movement. He spluttered for a moment, no doubt trying to think of some kind of excuse, some wild explanation about how Harley was entirely wrong and he must just be very confused. But then he saw the way Harley’s lips quirked up in a knowing smile. There was nothing he could do to except sigh in defeat. 

 

Peter reached up to pull the mask off, shaking out his tousled brown hair while he avoided looking Harley in the eyes.

 

Harley was happy to wait. The smile never leaving his face while he watched the sun sink lower every second. 

 

“How long have you known?”

 

“Since you rescued me.”

 

“You never told me.”

 

“I did everything but.” He turned to face Peter who was still sitting there wrapped up in his jacket, the mask being wrung between his nervous hands. “You are astoundingly oblivious.”

 

“Hey!” Peter protested, a slight laugh in his voice though as he thought back over all the blatantly obvious hints Harley had been dropping every waking moment. “Okay maybe I can be a  _ little _ bit unobservant-” “Aha!” “I said a  _ little _ , you asshole!” He nudged Harley in the side with his elbow, ignoring the peals of laughter the other boy kept letting out. 

 

“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Peter laughed, sitting up and shaking his head. Harley joined him, heaving himself up with exaggerated force and careening right into Peter until the two boys were a tangle of limbs and laughter. 

 

“Well I can’t believe that you didn’t pick up on  _ anything _ I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks. I mean, Peter, I asked you to bring me all the way over here for a damn reason and you haven’t even kissed me yet.”

 

“... kissed?” Peter’s voice was filled with quiet surprise. Harley just nodded. 

 

For some time the two simply sat together, staring into each other’s eyes, both too stubborn to move first until, after what felt like eternity, Peter’s hand drifted up to cup Harley’s cheek. The other boy leaned into the touch, his eyelids becoming heavy as his gaze drifted lazily between Peter’s eyes and lips, the invitation was clear. There was barely a moment of hesitation before Peter moved. 

 

The already small gap between them closed in an instant. Harley sighed happily into the feel of his lips pressed gently against Peter’s.  _ Finally.  _ They kissed. Under the open sky, in dimming light with only the feel of the other’s presence keeping them grounded when they both felt they could fly in that moment. After what may have been seconds or years Peter pulled back an inch, their foreheads still resting lightly against one another.

 

“Happy?” He asked cheekily, the grin that had plastered itself across Harley’s face was surely enough of an answer but he wanted to hear him say it. Instead Harley just pursed his lips in faux indecision. 

 

“Not sure.” Peter huffed disbelievingly. “Why don’t we do that again so I can decide?” 

 

They met in the middle again, smiling through their kisses the whole time. 

 

It was only when the shrill piercing of sirens broke through their little haze did reality come crashing back. Peter groaned into the kiss. To Harley’s eternal disappointment it wasn’t exactly the type of groaning he wanted. Instead it was a noise of regret, and with great reluctance Peter pulled back again, breaking the kiss. 

 

“Harley, I’ve got to-”

 

“I know,” Harley smiled at him, “Go. Be safe.”

 

Peter beamed at him, jumping to his feet but before he could leap off the roof’s edge he turned, walked back to Harley who sat there watching curiously. Peter leaned down, pressing his lips to Harley’s once more. “I’ll be back. Wait for me?”

 

“Of course. Now go,” he shooed at Peter who turned giggling, “Go be a hero. I’ll be here.”

 

He watched Peter hesitate one final time at the edge as he pulled the mask back on, winked at Harley and dove off into the air, following the call of danger, safe with the knowledge that Harley would be waiting eagerly for his return. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys thanks for reading my v self indulgent little romance here  
> (sorry for the self promo but just letting y'all know i made a new tumblr so if you have any story suggestions or wanna just chat find me at: https://mauverawrites.tumblr.com/ )


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